RAMALLAH, West Bank — Palestinians protesting Israel's chokehold on West Bank towns briefly overran a roadblock Wednesday as criticism of Israel's closure tactics mounted.
In its first meeting since Prime Minister Ariel Sharon took office last week, Israel's security Cabinet eased restrictions that have prevented Palestinians from traveling within the West Bank and Gaza.
Israel claims the unusually tight closure in recent days of Ramallah, a political and commercial center, was intended to prevent planned terrorist attacks. The strategy sparked debate within Israel, with critics arguing that collective measures only radicalize the Palestinians and increase support for violence.
Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres said the easing was "a good will gesture," and that Israel did not want to see the Palestinians suffer.
"We know the Palestinians are suffering, we don't want them to suffer, we don't want a Palestinian tragedy, we want a Palestinian neighbor," Peres said outside the U.N. Security Council in New York, where he defended Israel's opposition to a U.N. observer force, which the Palestinians want sent to the region.
In Jerusalem, a statement after the security Cabinet session said efforts would be made to differentiate between the civilian Palestinian population and "those who engage in terrorism." The security Cabinet decided to allow raw materials into the Palestinian territories and allow freedom of movement "dependent on security considerations."
Around Ramallah, frustration spilled over into angry protest.
When hundreds converged on an Israeli roadblock from two directions, the soldiers withdrew to a nearby hill. The protesters planted Palestinian flags on the site as tractors filled in a trench the Israelis had dug across the road and reopened it to traffic. The Israelis then retook the position, firing tear gas and rubber-coated steel pellets to disperse the Palestinians.
Elsewhere, the death toll continued to rise. A Palestinian was killed in a shooting in Gaza that the Palestinians said was unprovoked. The Israeli forces said the young man ran toward a military post carrying a metal object and refused orders to halt.
Soldiers fired warning shots, the military said.
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